Alcoa, TN (WOKI) The Alcoa Police Department is searching for multiple arson suspects after a porch fire on North Linden Street.
APD officials say home surveillance cameras caught the suspects, whom they believe to be juveniles, lighting a bag on fire and throwing it onto the porch of a house on North Linden.
APD says a red truck seen in the video is suspected to be the vehicle in which the suspects drove up to the house and then fled the scene.
You can view the entire surveillance footage here.
Those with information or additional video footage regarding the incident are asked to email Lieutenant Sparks at [email protected] or submit an anonymous tip to East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers at (865) 215-7165.
APD believes multiple juvenile suspects were involved in lighting a bag on fire and throwing it on the porch of a house on North Linden. (Courtesy: APD)
UPDATE: The latest update by TDOT on Saturday just before 4 p.m., in on ‘X’; Mark Nagi with TDOT posts US 129 “The Dragon” is now back open.
Blount County, TN (WOKI) A stretch of The Dragon, also known as U.S. 129 and a popular route for drivers in Blount County, has been closed because of a wildfire.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation shut down the road Friday afternoon from the state line to the Chilhowee Dam.
Officials with the Blount County Sheriff’s Office echoing TDOT saying the 11 mile stretch would be closed for an extended time as the fire, which broke out this morning, had jumped the roadway.
There is no word yet on the size or scope of the fire.
Stretch of The Dragon closed due to grass fire, TDOT says.
Maryville, TN (WVLT) Kenneth DeHart Jr., the man accused of shooting two Blount County Sheriff’s Office deputies in February, injuring one and killing the other, could face the death penalty.
The state filed two notices Friday, one seeking the death penalty, saying it will seek the death penalty in the case, which began at the start of the year when DeHart was taken into custody.
According to BCSO, Deputies Shelby Eggers and Greg McCowan stopped DeHart after he was found to be driving erratically. During the stop, the situation escalated, and DeHart shot both deputies, injuring Eggers and killing McCowan, BCSO said.
DeHart was also the subject of a five-day manhunt following the shooting. Several agencies assisted in the search, including the U.S. Marshals, Knoxville Police Department, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and more. DeHart was taken into custody at a Knoxville home following the search.
Following the state’s filing, DeHart’s own legal representative, Stephen Ross Johnson of Ritchie, Davies, Johnson & Stovall, P.C., filed his own motion claiming there were issues in DeHart’s preliminary hearing in February.
Johnson claimed in the filing that DeHart had requested to attain his own counsel, but was not given enough time between his arrest and his preliminary hearing to do so. Johnson said it cost DeHart the chance to adequately seek bail and “move to suppress unconstitutionally obtained evidence” in his case.
After he was taken into custody, Sheriff James Lee Berrong commented, saying DeHart should face the death penalty for his actions.
Also charged in connection to the shooting are DeHart’s girlfriend, Carrie Matthews, DeHart’s brother, Marcus DeHart and a man identified as Maurice Warren. All three of them were charged with accessory after the fact, BCSO said, for assisting DeHart while he was on the run.
In April, DeHart was indicted on 21 counts related to the case.
Kenneth DeHart’s first court appearance. (Courtesy: WVLT)
An 11 year-old girl in Sevierville is battling a rare virus from mosquitoes.
According to the CDC, less than 100 people in the US are infected with the La Crosse virus each year, with most of the cases coming from kids 16 or under.
Brynlee Henderson is one of only a few in the state who’s been infected so far in 2024. Her symptoms started on August 31st while her family was vacationing in South Carolina, when headaches, fevers, and extreme light sensitivity continued, the family came home and went to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. Doctors told the family they believed Brynlee had been infected with the rare virus.
Routine things like eating, drinking, and communicating clearly have been a struggle for the Brynlee due to brain swelling. She was released from the hospital yesterday (Thursday) but will likely have lingering effects from the La Crosse virus.
A McMinn County man is facing felony charges for making school threats.
The McMinn County Sheriff’s Office says 44-year-old Joshua Webb after they were told a man near Niota Elementary School had made the threat. A Department of Homeland Security agent responded to Webb’s house on County Road 255.
Webb is facing three charges of threats of mass violence, which is a felony in Tennessee.
School threats and arrests continue in Knox County Schools.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office responding to five school threats yesterday (Thursday) morning. A twelve-year-old seventh-grade female student from Cedar Bluff Middle was arrested for threats of mass violence, a twelve-year-old Gibbs middle school female student was arrested for false reports and an 11-year-old, Hardin Valley Middle School female student has been arrested for Threats of Mass Violence.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Fire and Explosive investigation unit, along with Juvenile Detectives investigating a trash can that was intentionally set on fire at South Doyle High School arrest a 14-year-old male student at the school for Attempted Aggravated Arson, setting fire to personal property, and vandalism.
Several law enforcement agencies in Roane, Morgan and Loudon Counties are investigating a string of school threats, with several students being taken into custody.
District Attorney General Russell Johnson says waves of posts on social media speculate about what happened at Rockwood High School this week. A person or group of people have been circulating two “vague and non-specific” posts threatening violence at Rockwood High School, but those posts are four years old by a troubled child.
Johnson also said the person or group who’s dredging up the old posts likely have some animosity towards Roane County law enforcement.
The DA says a Wartburg Elementary School student was charged Wednesday for statements they made in class and a Roane County High School student was charged for making their own statements. Two Cherokee Middle School students were charged, one made a verbal threat and the other falsely reported a threat last week.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Southeastern Conference announced the 2025 league schedules for all 16 baseball teams Thursday afternoon.
Tennessee, the reigning national champion, has a loaded home slate that features series against Florida (March 14-16), Texas A&M (April 4-6), Kentucky (April 18-20), Auburn (May 2-4) and Vanderbilt (May 9-11) at Lindsey Nelson Stadium this season.
The Vols’ road series include trips to Alabama (March 21-23), South Carolina (March 28-30), Ole Miss (April 11-13), LSU (April 25-27) and Arkansas (May 15-17).
Each of UT’s first three home SEC series—Florida, Texas A&M and Kentucky—will feature a battle between 2024 College World Series participants.
UT’s series against the Gators will be just the second time it has opened its conference slate in Knoxville since 2018 when Tony Vitello took over as head coach.
Eight of the Vols 10 SEC opponents played in an NCAA regional last season, with three of those teams advancing to an NCAA super regional. Tennessee’s showdown with the Aggies on April 4-6 will be a rematch of last year’s CWS final, which saw the Big Orange will two of three games to claim their first-ever national title on the diamond.
The SEC Tournament will once again be held at the Hoover Met in Hoover, Alabama. The tournament will begin on Tuesday, May 20 with the championship game slated to be played on Sunday, May 25.
Tennessee returns 17 letterwinners from last year’s team and welcomed in the nation’s No. 1 ranked signing class by Perfect Game to go along with several high-profile additions from the transfer portal.
The Vols’ full 2025 SEC schedule can be seen below. All series other than the final weekend of conference play are currently scheduled to be played Friday-Sunday but are subject to change to Thursday-Saturday based on television. Those altered series dates will be announced when the TV schedule is released in January or February.
UT’s full 2025 schedule will be released later this fall.
Tennessee Baseball 2025 SEC Schedule
March 14-16: FLORIDA (Knoxville, Tenn.) March 21-23: at Alabama (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) March 28-30: at South Carolina (Columbia, S.C.) April 4-6: TEXAS A&M (Knoxville, Tenn.) April 11-13: at Ole Miss (Oxford, Miss.) April 18-20: KENTUCKY (Knoxville, Tenn.) April 25-27: at LSU (Baton Rouge, La.) May 2-4: AUBURN (Knoxville, Tenn.) May 9-11: VANDERBILT (Knoxville, Tenn.) May 15-17: at Arkansas (Fayetteville, Ark.) May 20-25: SEC Tournament (Hoover, Ala.)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI A 14-year-old South Doyle High School student is facing serious charges following a fire Thursday afternoon in a trash can at the school.
Deputies and juvenile detectives responded around 2:00 p.m. to the trash fire; officials said they believed it was set intentionally.
A 14-year-old boy was arrested later in the day in connection to the fire; he is facing charges of attempted aggravated arson, setting fire to personal property, and vandalism.
A 14-year-old boy is facing multiple charges in connection to the incident Thursday, KCSO said. (Frankly Media)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) We’re just over a month into Knox County’s school year, and the number of people facing charges for threatening schools is steadily growing.
Wednesday, District Attorney Charme Allen said 17 people in Knox County were being charged in connection to school threats. Thursday morning, that total had jumped to 23.
However, that news came early Thursday morning. Thursday afternoon, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office reported that it had responded to five more threats, arresting a 12-year-old Cedar Bluff Middle School student. More arrests could be coming, according to KCSO.
The news of charges comes after the school district saw a major spike in threats, which prompted increased police presence at Knox County schools.
WVLT News sat down Thursday morning with Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, who said keeping students safe is a priority.
“School shootings and and these things are top of mind,” Jacobs said. “This is not a joke. It’s not a prank. It’s not funny. It’s not cute. It’s a crime, and if you’re caught, and most likely you will be caught, there are serious penalties, so please don’t do this.”
Jacob’s comments echo a lot of what Sheriff Tom Spangler told WVLT News leading into the school year. New state legislation is upping the seriousness of mass violence threats, and Spangler made it clear that he intends to crack down on school threats.
”If it happens and if you’re caught, we’ve made it very clear,” Spangler said. “I’m going to sound redundant, but it’s that important to me that we hold these individuals accountable.”
Knox County isn’t the only school system to see a jump in threats this week. Several counties and school systems across East Tennessee placed more officers inside schools Wednesday as a precaution.
A McMinn County man is facing felony charges for making school threats, according to the McMinn County Sheriff’s Office.
The news of charges comes after the school district saw a major spike in threats, which prompted increased police presence at Knox County schools. (Courtesy: WVLT)